Camaro ss or a 03/04 cobra, need some help

This is a discussion on Camaro ss or a 03/04 cobra, need some help within the Camaro / SS forums, part of the Vehicle Specific category; Originally Posted by Ryans99LS1
I honestly would go cobra. Full exhaust and throw on a whipple or kb, you got ...

Great question -- at the end of the day it all comes down to personal preference. Both are GREAT cars -- here's the scoop on both...

You can find a SS in great condition with low miles in the $15K range. The LS1 responds very well to mods and an extra $5K should get you close to 400 rwhp and a strong running car. That being said, you'll need to drop some extra cash on supporting mods to get the most out of your setup (rear end, gears, clutch for M6, shift kit and stall for A4). Personally, I love the feel of a modded f-body over a Cobra simply because of the solid rear axle. If you decide that you want to go a little more extreme and get to 500 rwhp, you can slap on a 100 rwhp shot of N2O, or you could go forced induction. That being said, getting into this power range with a stock cube LS1 is going to require a decent investment if you do it "right" (from a driveability and durability standpoint).

As for the Cobra -- fine piece of machinery as well. You should be able to get in the door of one in good shape for $20K - $24K. With simple mods (exhaust, CAI, tune and pulley) you can easily get to the 440 - 450 rwhp range and it doesn't take much more for that number to keep climbing. If you wanted to go a bit more extreme, there are plenty of options out there that can get you to 500 - 600 rwhp with relative ease. One popular mod that might be worthwhile for a 450 rwhp Cobra would be to swap a new, solid rear in the back. Then you can toss a great tire on and shouldn't have to worry about wheel hop. All-in-all, they are great cars.

i have agree i miss the ergonomics of the camaro, im only 5'8 and fell kinda cramped in the cobra but ive gotten used to it. Keep in mind if you get a pullied cobra on stock 275 you will have serious traction issues, so plan on getting some new wheels and tires to put the power down. I dont get traction till third gear, though fun it does make all of that extra power kinda useless in a street race.

lol. i would get the cobra. there is a guy that is in my neighborhood that has one. not sure what all is done to it, but its pushing 600 horses to the ground. my mechanic told me this, this guy(with the cobra) works for him part time i believe.

ahh, a pulley and exhaust on the termi and you'll see 460rwhp 1500 bucks. i dunno the prices on termi aftermarket.

i love my camaro and wouldn't trade it for anything. that being said if i had the money and wasnt too partial to anything i'd definately buy the cobra. sound so fucking mean, look good, easy to mod, and very fast outta the box and scary fast with mods...

I like the LS1 engine better than what Ford offers, but I like Ford's sylling much better. The 4th gen camaro interior design leaves much to be desired in my opinion. The cars scream, though. It is really hard to beat the performance for the money. The LS1 has a much broader powerband than the Ford engines, which I have always found lacking in low end and mid-range torque.

Think i might just go with the camaro, and slap some of the basic mods on it and eventually when the rearend goes i will just grab a 12bolt or 9inch. Anywhoo how much power can the stock ls1 rods/pistons/crank handle? and about how much would it cost for a shop to install a camshaft?

ahh, a pulley and exhaust on the termi and you'll see 460rwhp 1500 bucks. i dunno the prices on termi aftermarket.

i love my camaro and wouldn't trade it for anything. that being said if i had the money and wasnt too partial to anything i'd definately buy the cobra. sound so fucking mean, look good, easy to mod, and very fast outta the box and scary fast with mods...

Yah granted you had the 25 grand in the first place to buy the cobra. But yah it is easier to make great power with the cobra.

Think i might just go with the camaro, and slap some of the basic mods on it and eventually when the rearend goes i will just grab a 12bolt or 9inch. Anywhoo how much power can the stock ls1 rods/pistons/crank handle? and about how much would it cost for a shop to install a camshaft?

If you get a ls-1 with reasonable miles trickflow sells a head and cam kit for 3000, that nets you 500hp, so stock internals can handle good power. As far as just camshaft you might want to look into installing it yourself to save some green for other mods, otherwise I have seen from 300 on up 300 being on the cheaper end. Also look at spending around 400 for the tune.

I have also been tossing the idea around of buying a rotating assembly,block,h/c/, do any of y'all have any experience or can give me any advice on doing this? Im trying to keep my options open... sorry for being a pain in the ass lol!

If you get a ls-1 with reasonable miles trickflow sells a head and cam kit for 3000, that nets you 500hp, so stock internals can handle good power. As far as just camshaft you might want to look into installing it yourself to save some green for other mods, otherwise I have seen from 300 on up 300 being on the cheaper end. Also look at spending around 400 for the tune.

It's probably important to note that the "500 HP" package with Trick Flow is not rated at the wheels and frankly it's a bit aggressive in it's assumption. The most aggressive cam they have in the offering (which I have in my car) is really a middle of the road cam that makes GREAT power under the curve and respectable power up top....not exactly a "dyno queen" cam that produces crazy high peak numbers. With full bolt ons and a M6 + the Trick Flow package you might put up 420 - 430 rwhp peak with the LS6 intake.

As for the cam install, depending on your shop's labor rate it could hit you for 400 - 700 for the install plus an additional charge for a dyno tune (which varies wildly based on how the shop bills -- one time usage vs. paying for lifetime updates to the tune).

Ive got a friend with a 99 SS with a stout 408 in it that makes Cobras and Vipers take exits they dont need to get away from him. Id love to have a Cobra,and a GTO as im a car nut all the way around. Just go F/I on that LS1 and have fun in it man.

i agree, cobra's are pretty bad ass and are mustangs on steroids, but if you stuck the same amount of money in a camaro or t/a as you did on a cobra w/mods the camaro will be faster.

I just like that they are already boosted and you can throw sooo much shit at them before ever having to dig into the engine. Our cars can a shit load of abuse and respond really well, but if you take that mod money and put a turbo on our car, you better be looking at engines if you wanna run decent boost( 8+psi). You just cant take our stock motor and run it up to 600rwhp on the stock block like cobras can/do... Now i know there are people who have gone 500+ with ls1s but im talking long term abuse. Most of us would spin a bearing etc.